Online Resources

RFA has provided links to organizations from throughout the Americas to facilitate networking between individuals and groups. Here you can find environmental groups from Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and South America. Also, peruse various sources for informative maps.

Online Resource Index

• National Associations
• Northwest Associations
• United States Resources
• Canada Resources
• Central America Resources
• South America Resources

National Associations

• Council on Foundations
  For over 50 years, the Council on Foundations has helped foundation staff, trustees and board members in their day-to-day grantmaking activities. Through one-to-one technical assistance, research, publications, conferences and workshops, legal services, and a wide array of other services, the Council addresses the important issues and challenges that face foundations and corporate funders. Council members include more than 1,800 grantmaking organizations nationwide.
• The Foundation Center
  The Foundation Center's mission is to support and improve institutional philanthropy by promoting public understanding of the field and helping grantseekers succeed. Founded in 1956, the Center is the nation's leading authority on institutional philanthropy and is dedicated to serving grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public.
• The National Network of Grantmakers
  NNG is an organization of individuals involved in funding social and economic justice, not a funding group. NNG is committed to the goal of increasing resources, financial and otherwise, to organizations working for social change. Our members are individual donors, foundation staff, board, and grantmaking committee members. Founded in 1980, NNG provides services to both funders and practitioners or grantseekers.
  
• The Association of Small Foundations
  ASF's mission is to provide information and assistance related to quality philanthropy to those offices having five or fewer persons and a portfolio that includes all aspects of foundation work: public relations, writing letters, cutting checks, mailing and processing grant applications, working with trustees and grantees, doing site visits and evaluations, managing assets, tax matters, etc.
• The Foundation Incubator
  TFI's mission is to stimulate collaborative, innovative, and effective philanthropy in emerging and existing foundations. Similar to a nonprofit small business incubator, TFI provides shared facilities, mentoring, and networking opportunities to its foundations-in-residence so they can be more effective in their grantmaking.
• Grantmakers Without Borders
  A collaborative project of the International Donors' Dialogue and the International Working Group of the National Network of Grantmakers. We are individual donors and individuals working with public and private foundations who share a common desire to expand and enrich progressive international philanthropy.
• Independent Sector
  A diverse collection of more than 1 million charitable, educational, religious, health, and social welfare organizations. Independent Sector's mission is to promote, strengthen, and advance the nonprofit and philanthropic community to foster private initiative for the public good.
• GuideStar
  Search a database of more than 850,000 IRS-recognized nonprofit organizations. GuideStar's mission is to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice with information.
  
• The Rewilding Institute
  An organization that develops and promotes ideas and strategies to advance continental-scale conservation in North America, particularly the need for large carnivores and a permeable landscape for their movement.

Northwest Associations

• Northwest Giving Project
  A supportive initiative to inspire and educate new philanthropists on various options for giving. Northwest Giving Project approaches philanthropy as a deeply personal experience and does not recommend any one giving vehicle, plan, nonprofit organization, cause or advisor. NWGP's goal is to provide community members with the information and confidential support they need to make independent giving decisions.
• The Seattle Foundation
  Established in 1946 to create an endowment to improve the quality of life for the people of the Puget Sound region.
  • The Foundation:
  • Facilitates and acts as a catalyst for charitable giving,
  • Administers charitable funds, trusts, gift annuities, and bequests,
  • Distributes grants to nonprofit organizations in the community,
  • Responds as a positive force to the changing needs.

• The Oregon Community Foundation
  The OCF was established in 1973 by community leaders to serve as a vehicle for Oregonians to participate in philanthropy throughout the state.
  
  Community foundations have three primary functions:
  • To build a permanent endowment to benefit the community through the administration of individually tailored charitable funds;
  • To make grants and scholarships from the endowments to improve life;
  • To provide leadership to address community needs.
    
• Northern California Grantmakers
  NCG is an association of foundations, corporate contributions programs and other private grantmakers. Building on an initiative started in 1965 to exchange ideas, improve cooperation among foundations, and increase their knowledge of community problems, NCG has now grown to support the activity of more than 140 member grantmakers active in the Bay Area, with combined grantmaking of more than $1 billion annually.
• Tidepool
  Updated every weekday, this Portland, Oregon-based Bioregional community provides the best news stories collected from more than three dozen on-line news sources, with the goal being to create a conservation based economy.
• ONE/Northwest
  To ensure a healthy environment for future generations, ONE/Northwest powers the voice of conservationists with technology tools and know-how that connect and involve people in protecting the environment of the Pacific Northwest.
• Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
  This Portland-based commission provides technical support and coordination for fishery-management policies of the Columbia River Basin's four treaty tribes: the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Yakama Nation and the Nez Perce Tribe.

Philanthropic News

• The Chronicle of Philanthropy
  The newspaper of the nonprofit world. The Chronicle of Philanthropy is the No. 1 news source, in print and online, for charity leaders, fund raisers, grant makers, and other people involved in the philanthropic enterprise.
• Foundation News & Commentary
  Published by the Council on Foundations, FN&C provides insider commentary, analysis of controversies, and insights into new trends in the rapidly changing world of foundation philanthropy.
• Philanthropy News Digest
  A weekly news service of the Foundation Center, is a compendium, in digest form, of philanthropy-related articles and features culled from print and electronic media outlets nationwide.

United States Resources

• International River Network
  IRN's mission is to halt and reverse the degradation of river systems; to support local communities in protecting and restoring the well-being of the people, cultures and ecosystems that depend on rivers; to promote sustainable, environmentally sound alternatives to damming and channeling rivers; to foster greater understanding, awareness and respect for rivers; to support the worldwide struggle for environmental integrity, social justice and human rights; and to ensure that our work is exemplary of responsible and effective global action on environmental issues.
• River Network
  The River Network was founded in 1988 with the conviction that the solutions to river degradation are primarily local and must be created by citizen action watershed by watershed. River Network continues to provide personalized assistance, training and information to more than 500 partner groups through watershed programs. River Network's River Conservancy Program has acquired and protected more than 40,000 acres of key riverlands to date.
• American Rivers
  We are a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring rivers nationwide.
• Trout Unlimited
  Trout Unlimited's mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America's trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.
• For the Sake of the Salmon
  Our website is designed primarily for watershed groups and local communities working to restore and protect salmon habitat. We've done the legwork to filter the tremendous amount of available information on protecting and restoring watersheds that are home to salmon.

• Willamette Riverkeepers
  Founded in 1996, Willamette Riverkeeper is the only organization dedicated solely to the protection and restoration of the Willamette River.
• River Alliance of Wisconsin
  The River Alliance of Wisconsin is a non-profit, non-partisan group of citizens, organizations and businesses dedicated to advocating for the protection, enhancement and restoration of our rivers and watersheds.
• Amigos Bravos
  It is the mission of Amigos Bravos to return New Mexico's rivers and the Río Grande watershed to drinkable quality wherever possible, and to contact quality everywhere else; to see that natural flows are maintained and where those flows have been disrupted by human intervention, to see that they are regulated to protect and reclaim the river ecosystem by approximating natural flows; and to preserve and restore the native riparian and riverine biodiversity.
• Copper River Watershed Project
  The Copper River Watershed Project is a membership organization in Alaska promoting sustainable development, economic diversification, with benefits for watershed residents, but not at the expense of their quality of life.
• Eyak Preservation Council
  Mission is to protect the inherent rights of culture, heritage, language and ancestral lands needed to preserve and restore the Eyak tribe's continued existence as an independently recognized Alaska tribal nation.
• Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
  CRITFC is made up of four Columbia Basin tribes. These tribes are the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Nez Perce Tribe.The tribal vision for the future of the Columbia River Basin is one in which people return to a more balanced and harmonious relationship with the environment.
• Utah Rivers Council
  The Utah Rivers Council seeks protection for Utah's remaining free-flowing rivers and the ecosystems they support
• Merrimack River Watershed Council
  MRWC is a non-for-profit membership organization with a growing constituency of individuals, businesses, municipalities and community groups seeking to protect the natural resources of the watershed.
• Glen Canyon Institute
  The Glen Canyon Institute's mission is to provide leadership toward restoration of a free flowing Colorado River through Glen Canyon and Grand Canyon.
• Oregon Trout
  Oregon Trout is a non-profit organization headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Our mission is to protect and restore native wild fish and the ecosystems that sustain them.
• Alabama Rivers Alliance
  The mission of the Alabama Rivers Alliance is to unite the
  citizens of Alabama to protect clean, healthy waters.
• Cahaba River Society
  To promote the understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the Cahaba River
• Friends of the River (CA)
  Friends of the River educates, organizes, and advocates to protect and restore California rivers, streams, and watersheds.
• Mattole Restoration Council
  The objectives and purpose of the Mattole Restoration Council are the restoration of natural systems in the Mattole River watershed and their maintenance at sustainable levels of health and productivity, especially in regards to forests, fisheries, soils, and other native plant and animal communities.
• Mono Lake Committee
  the Mono Lake Committee has been working to protect Mono Lake from destruction, to heal the damage done in the Mono Basin, and to educate the public about the natural environment and wise water use.
• South Yuba River Citizens League
  The South Yuba River Citizens League is a community-based educational nonprofit corporation committed to the protection, preservation and restoration of the entire Yuba Watershed.
• Friends of the Poudre
  Dedicated to preserving Colorado's Cache la Poudre River, and enhancing its recreational, historic, and educational values

• Housatonic Valley Association
  HVA was founded in 1941. It is an effective force in the protection of farmland, open space, rivers and drinking water and in the management of solid and hazardous waste. From the Massachusetts Berkshires to Long Island Sound, HVA works to protect the environment for the people in the Housatonic River watershed.
• Rivers Alliance of Connecticut
  Rivers Alliance of Connecticut was formed to protect and enhance Connecticut's rivers and streams by promoting sound river and watershed policies, uniting and strengthening the state's many river and watershed groups, and educating the public about the importance of river conservation.
• Farmington River Watershed Association
  The FRWA is a citizen-based, non-profit organization at the forefront of restoration and conservation issues such as water quality, water allocation, recreational usage, open space, and wetland and floodplain protection. We work with federal, state and local government, business and industry, and the people of the watershed's 28 communities to protect the river and the region's natural resources.
• Upper ChattaHoochee Riverkeepers Fund
  Established in 1994, the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Fund, Inc., is an independent environmental advocacy organization dedicated solely to protecting the Chattahoochee River.
• Idaho Rivers United
  Idaho Rivers United is a statewide river conservation organization supported by individuals like you. Founded in 1990, Idaho Rivers United has over 2,000 members.
• Friends of the Chicago River
  Friends of the Chicago River's mission is to foster the vitality of the Chicago River for the human, plant and animal communities within its watershed. Friends has grown from that dedicated group of volunteers to a nonprofit organization with over 1,600 dues-paying members, a strong reputation as a leader of collaborative efforts, and a growing list of tangible accomplishments.
• Prairie Rivers Network
  Prairie Rivers Network strives to protect the rivers and streams of Illinois and to promote the lasting health and beauty of watershed communities.
• American Whitewater
  The mission of the American Whitewater is to conserve and restore America's whitewater resources and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely.
• Center for Watershed Protection
  Founded in 1992, the Center for Watershed Protection is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation providing the tools to help communities protect some of the nation's most precious natural resources: our streams, lakes and rivers.
• Watershed Management Professional Program
  The Watershed Management Professional Program (WMPP) brings simple watershed concepts like land management and restoration and the everyday complexities underlying them, into sharp focus for professionals engaged in watershed protection and management activities -- and for anyone else interested in these issues.
• Center for Watershed and Community Health
  This Center at University of Oregon is working to develop governance systems that enhance environmental, economic and social well-being
• Coalition for Buzzards Bay
  The Coalition for Buzzards Bay is a membership-supported non profit organization dedicated to the restoration, protection and sustainable use and enjoyment of our irreplaceable Bay and its watershed.
• Massachusetts Watershed Coalition
  The Coalition is a network of local organizations that are committed to the protection, sound management and enhancement of Massachusetts rivers and watershed ecosystems.
• Nashua River Watershed Council
  Rivers Founded in 1969, the Nashua River Watershed Association's mission is to work for a healthy ecosystem with clean water and open spaces for human and wildlife communities, where people work together to sustain mutual economic and environmental well-being in the Nashua River watershed.
• Council of Minnesota
  The Rivers Council of Minnesota is a nonprofit organization
  dedicated to helping Minnesotans keep their streams and rivers healthy.
• Upper Mississippi River Campaign
  Inform people about the ecological significance of the Upper Mississippi and its watershed for birds, fish, wildlife, habitat, and humans

• Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
  The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy promotes resilient family farms, rural communities and ecosystems around the world through research and education, science and technology, and advocacy.
• Keepers of the Waters
  A non-profit organization bringing together artists, scientists and community to initiate projects that restore, preserve and remediate water sources in visible, educational, recreational and culturally integrated ways.
• Montana River Action
  Montana River Action's mission is to protect and restore rivers, streams and other water bodies.
• New Hampshire Rivers Council
  The New Hampshire Rivers Council is the only statewide conservation organization wholly dedicated to the protection and conservation of New Hampshire rivers. Since its incorporation as a non-profit organization in 1993, the Rivers Council has worked to educate the public about the value of the state's rivers, designate rivers in the state's protection program, and advocate for strong public policies and wise management of New Hampshire's river resources.
• New York Rivers United
  NYRU is a non-profit, river conservation organization that was created to coordinate and promote an effective river management strategy statewide. NYRU's mission is to conserve, protect and enhance New York's rivers and riverine ecosystems.
• Pamlico - Tar River Foundation
  The Pamlico-Tar River Foundation was founded in 1981. It is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving and promoting the environmental quality of the Tar-Pamlico River and its watershed. PTRF is a grassroots organization, supported by nearly 1,500 citizen members -- "River Givers."
• Rivers Unlimited
  Rivers Unlimited works to help river groups and individuals in Ohio protect and restore their streams.
• WaterWatch of Oregon
  WaterWatch is a river conservation group devoted to restoring and protecting natural flows in Oregon's rivers. We work in the courts, state and federal agencies, and the legislature to ensure enough water is left in our rivers and streams to sustain the fish, wildlife, and people who depend on them.
• Pacific Rivers Council
  The Pacific Rivers Council is one of the largest and most successful river conservation organizations in the United States. Our mission is to protect and restore rivers, their watersheds, and native aquatic species.
• Johnson Creek Watershed Council
  Our mission is to inspire and facilitate community investment in the Johnson Creek watershed for the protection and enhancement of its natural environment.
• Pennsylvania Organization for Watershed and Rivers
  POWR is dedicated to the protection, sound management and enhancement of the Commonwealth's rivers and watersheds and to the empowerment of local organizations with the same commitment.
• Alliance for Chesapeake Bay
  A regional nonprofit organization that builds and fosters partnerships for the restoration of the Bay and its rivers. We believe that cooperation between informed and active citizens is the best foundation for the Bay's future.
• Conservation Fund
  Forges partnerships to preserve our nation's outdoor heritage—America's legacy of wildlife habitat, working landscapes and community open-space. Pioneering a unique brand of conservation driven by Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Environmental and Economic Balance, the Fund produces unsurpassed results.
• Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition
  Rescuing Snake and Columbia River wild salmon and steelhead from extinction is one of America's foremost environmental and economic challenges. Will salmon disappear or once again thrive in the rivers of Lewis and Clark?
• Canaan Valley Institute Inc.
  Since 1995, CVI has been fostering local decision-making in support of sustainable communities in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands. The Mid-Atlantic Highlands includes portions of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and all of West Virginia.
• West Virginia Rivers Coalition
  Seeks conservation and restoration of West Virginia's exceptional rivers and streams.
• St. Croix Environmental Association
  To encourage environmental action through awareness, education, and advocacy.

Canada Resources

• Nanakila Institute
  The Nanakila Institute is a non-profit society dedicated to the conservation, stewardship and appropriate development of the ancestral lands of the Haisla First Nation, with particular emphasis on the Greater Kitlope Ecosystem.

• Partners for the Saskatchewan River Basin
  A non-profit charitable organization committed to increasing stewardship of the river basin by developing public awareness and education tools, partnerships and networks of organizations that cross political and sectored boundaries, and action projects people can participate in.
• Fraser Valley Regional Watersheds Coalition
  Mission is to promote the understanding and action of communities in the Fraser Valley area to achieve healthy watersheds and the communities that they support.

Central America Resources

• Alianza del Río Bravo
  The Alianza del Río Bravo, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a bi-national project, is dedicated to the protection, improvement and conservation of natural resources of the Río Bravo (Río Grande) River Basin.
• Instituto de Ecología
  INECOL es una institución pública que produce conocimiento científico, crea opinión pública y prepara profesionales en ecología y biodiversidad para la conservación del patrimonio natural y el desarrollo social y económico del país.
• Biodesert A.C.
  (Asociación para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad del Desierto)
  (Association for the Conservation of the Biodiversity of the Desert)
  Lic. Magdalena Briones Navarro, President
  Ph. D. Jesús José Quiñónez Vera, Associate
  Cerrada San Manuel No. 410
  Colonia Las Fuentes Torreón
  Coahuila, Mexico
  C.P. 27290
  Tel. & fax: (871) 7 32-70-41
  Email: biodesert_ac@terra.com.mx
  
  Biodesert works on ecosystem and watershed restoration and protection for the Río Nazas, the hydrographic basin of which is located in the Desierto Chihuahuense in northern Mexico. Since 1999, Biodesert has worked to stop degradation of the Río Nazas-conserving its riparian ecosystem and developing an environmental education and conservation program as well as conducting a study on ecological and social factors responsible for the deterioration of the lower Río Nazas. The Río Nazas flows from the confluence of the Río Sextín and the Río Ramos, and flows through Durango, Zacatecas and Coahuila states. There are two dams on the Río Nazas: Lázaro Cárdenas (El Palmito) dam on the upper Río Nazas, and Francisco Zarco (Las Tórtolas) dam mid-river.
  
  Biodesert has garnered support from the World Wildlife Fund, the Council of Science and Technology of Mexico, municipal authorities from Torreon, and from the Universidad Juárez of Durango State. Biodesert collaborates with Mary Kelly of the Texas Center for Policy Studies in the Center's Río Concho Basin project.
• Centro de Derecho Ambiental e Integración Económica del Sur, A.C.
  (Southern Environmental Law and Economic Integration Center)
  Claudio Torres Nachón, LL.M., Director
  Tel: 52 2288 18-23-88
  Fax: 52 2288 18-20-28
  Email: dassurct@prodigy.net.mx
  
  DASSUR has produced a video about fishing with pesticides in the Uxpanapa River in Veracruz, Mexico. Ten of the twelve larger rivers in Mexico are located in Veracruz state. Those ten rivers suffer from serious pollution problems. More than 35% of river water flows to the Gulf of Mexico through Veracruz.
• Colegio de Biólogos del Sistema Tecnológico A.C.
  Maria Luisa Villarreal, Sonora President
  Blanca Azucena Garcia Gual, Operations Coordinator of the Regional
  Conservation and Development Program for the Río Hondo Watershed
  Avenida Belice 324
  Colonia David Gutiérrez
  C.P. 77013
  Chetumal, Quintana Roo, México
  Tel & fax: 52 (983) 83 24364
  Email: cobiotec@prodigy.net.mx, riohondo_riverkeeper@yahoo.com
  
  COBIOTEC is working to establish a Regional Conservation and Development Program for the Río Hondo Watershed, a collaborative pilot project for sustainable development and conservation of the Río Hondo watershed-working in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. The project, to be completed in four stages over three years, will involve communities that depend on the marine, aquatic, riparian and terrestrial ecosystems associated with the river. COBIOTEC will analyze threats to watershed ecosystems, patterns, and will focus on both short- and long-term planning. The headwaters for the Río Hondo are in Guatemala. The river flows through Guatemala, Belize and Mexico, supporting 73 communities along the way, to reach the ocean at Chetumal Bay in Mexico.
  
  COBIOTEC's collaborative project will work to foster environmental awareness, examining the evolution of human settlement along the river's edge over the past 25 years, and studing environmental impacts on the ecosystems due to changes in the use of soil (i.e. heavy use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers) and ecosystem management. The project will work to develop community leaders who will take direct action to educate, monitor and manage the Río Hondo's ecosytems. COBIOTEC plans to develop watershed and ecosystem management programs designed with the support of grassroots citizen groups, and through which such groups can actively participate in decision-making and improving human and environmental quality of life. COBIOTEC plans for grassroots groups, through the watershed and ecosystem management programs, to generate initiatives to be integrated by local authorities in their development plans and policies.
• Grupo Para la Conservación de las Nutrias de México
  This organization focuses on otter protection and habitat conservation.
• Instituto de Derecho Ambiental, A.C.
  Dr. Raquel Gutierrez Nájera, President
  Misión San Felipe #13 dep. 10
  Residencial Guadalupe
  Zapopan, Jalisco, México
  C.P. 45040
  Tel & fax: 52 (33) 3620 5726
  Email: idea@cybercable.net.mx
  
  IDEA is working on two important Mexican River Basins with serious conservation problems. Since 1996, IDEA has been ambitiously working to restore the polluted Lake Chapala (near Guadalajara, Jalisco). The Lake Chapala River Basin is part of the larger Lerma-Santiago River Basin, one of the most important river basins in Mexico. IDEA is also advising the Grupo de Rescate Ecológico (Environmental Exchange Group), which works to defend the Choy and Tasmpaón Rivers in Tamuín, San Luis Potosi. The Choy and Tasmpaón Rivers form part of the Pánuco River Basin, and flow to the Gulf of Mexico. The Mexican government has a thermoelectric project that uses water from both of these rivers, and has overlooked environmental controls.
• La Organización Ecologista de la Sierra de Petatlán y de Coyuca de Catalán, A.C.
  Calle Mar Muerto 87
  Colonia Infonavit La Parota de Zihuatanejo
  Guerrero, México
  C.P. 40880
  Tel: 01 755 55 442 05
  Email: leonsilvestre@hotmail.com
  
  This forest-defense organization is located in the massive forest of the Sierra Madre del Sur. The organization's battle began in 1997 with its fight against the North American company, Boise Cascade. For the past five years, deforestation has affected the water level of the Coyuquilla and Petatlán Rivers due to diminished rainfall. The waters of the Coyuquilla and Petatlán Rivers, which originate from the Filo Mayor River 100 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, serve numerous villages in the region, and pertain particularly to the municipality of Petatlán, in the Costa Grande region of Guerrero state. The seriously contaminated rivers flow to the Pacific Ocean. In addition to fighting in defense of the forests, the organization is working to raise public awareness about the river basins in order to urge villagers to stop using pesticides and chemical fertilizers on their fields and crops. The organization also promotes environmentally-friendly products and organically-grown food, in addition to controlling solid waste and confining it in an environmentally friendly way.
• Organización Profauna
  (Protección de la Fauna Mexicana, A.C. Sección Chuhuahua)
  Alberto Lafón, Ph.D., Director, gruscan@yahoo.com
  Calle I. Ramírez 1602
  Colonia Pacífico
  C.P. 31030
  Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México
  Tel & fax: (14) 15-43-43
  Email: profauna@ch.cablemas.com
  Contact: M.C. Enrique Carreón Hernández, ecarreonhdz@yahoo.com
  
  Profauna has been working in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to analyze the riverbank ecosystem of the Conchos River. The Conchos River is the main surface water source in Chihuahua state, and one of the principal tributaries of the Río Grande (Río Bravo) River. The Conchos River is important for its great diversity of flora and fauna, as well as for providing water for agricultural, aquacultural, cattle ranching, mining, industrial and domestic use. Nevertheless, the Conchos River has been classified as a threatened priority area due to overexploitation of water, dams, desertification, deforestation, pesticide and fertilizer contamination, industrial and residential waste, in addition to introduction of non-native species. Unfortunately, there is little information about these impacts on the Conchos River ecosystem. Profauna's latest study revealed the present condition of the riverbank of the Conchos, taking samples from 35 areas along the river, 24 of which were classified as non-functional, and eleven as functional but at risk (six tending toward higher risk, five toward lower risk). Factors likely to have contributed to poor ecosystem health are over-grazing, discharge of untreated sewage, regulation of the water level, among other problems. The organization also used satellite imaging to analyze riverbank conditions, and surveyed several primary actors involved in the use and administration of the river. Seventy four percent of respondents believed that there have been changes in the natural condition of the Conchos River. The information obtained will help to identify and classify areas at risk, and to select conservation and restoration strategies.
• Proesteros
  Ensenada, Baja California, México
  Email: proester@telnor.net
  
  Pro Esteros is a binational, non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of coastal lagoons, estuaries, salt marshes, and wetlands on the Baja California peninsula. One of Pro Esteros primary goals is to achieve a balance between development and conservation through research and education. Pro Esteros was created in 1988 as a response to the growing concern of Mexican and North American scientists for the degradation of the Punta Banda estuary in the southern part of Todos Santos Bay. Developers were planning to dredge the estuary in order to build a marina. One of Pro Esteros' first accomplishments was to organize a series of seminars and conferences for researcher from both sides of the issue, in order to raise awareness of the environmental importance of estuaries and coastal salt marshes in Baja California.
• Bess Metcalf, U.S. Co-Director
  109 N. Oregon, Ste. 617
  El Paso, Texas 79901
  Tel:(915) 532-0399
  Fax: (915) 532-0474
  Email: coalition@rioweb.org
  
  The Coalition is a binational organization and as such is incorporated in both the United States and in Mexico. A 15 member Board oversees the Coalition. Selection of Board members reflects the geographic and ethnic diversity of the basin and also seeks to include a variety of stakeholders. The Board develops policy for the organization and provides vision. The organization is run by two co-directors, one from the United States and the other from Mexico. These co-directors work collectively to develop the programs and oversee the day-to-day operation of the organization. The organization also has two Assistant Directors, one located in Laredo, Texas, and another in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, whose major charge is outreach and program development. The coalition has 25 partner groups in Mexico. As a basin community, the coalition's challenge is to work across differences to secure long-term survival and sustain the integrity, diversity and vitality of life in the Rio Grande/Río Bravo Basin. The mission of the Río Grande/ Río Bravo Basin Coalition is to facilitate local communities in restoring and sustaining the environment, economies, and social well being of the Río Grande/ Río Bravo Basin. The organization's projects have included the basin-wide river celebration-Día del Río, the River Stewardship Partnership with communities of faith, publication of a basin-wide newsletter, production of biannual basin-wide conferences, and computer networking, technical and fundraising support to partner organizations.

South America Resources

• PROMETA
  Fundada en enero de 1990. Sus fundadores fueron tres miembros del Comité Cívico Juvenil por la Defensa de los Recursos Naturales de Tarija, institución que anteriormente ya había realizado diversas acciones a favor de la conservación.
• Ecuadorian Rivers Institute
  Non-profit 501c3 organization based in the United States to help protect and conserve unique watershed resources in Ecuador. The Ecuadorian Rivers Institute works in the areas of Environmental Education, Sustainable Development, and Paddlesports Programs. Our strategy is to empower local Ecuadorians to make informed decisions about the development and management of their river resources.